The use of digital image-forming apparatuses such as, for example, thermal ink-jet printers, large-format plotters, piezo-electric printers, laser printers, silver halide grade photo imaging apparatuses, and others has grown in recent years. The growth may be attributed to substantial improvements in print resolution and overall print quality coupled with appreciable reduction in cost, and ease of use. Today's image-forming apparatuses offer acceptable print quality for many commercial, business and household applications at costs lower than those offered in the past.
Print media such as those used in off-set printing are smooth and glossy due to a nonporous coating on the surface of the media. The nonporous coating is a hydrophobic material, such as a hydrophobic polymer. Since this coating is hydrophobic, inks used in these types of commercial printing are typically oil-based. In contrast, the majority of inks used in inkjet printing are aqueous-based. These inkjet inks are generally not compatible with the existing non-inkjet commercial print media because the aqueous-based inkjet inks do not penetrate into the nonporous coating, in particular in the fast throughput environment. Therefore, in order to print commercial volumes using inkjet printing, modified inkjet inks for use on non-inkjet compatible commercial print media have been developed. However, images printed with these inkjet inks may have reduced resolution, durability, or print quality.
Due to the cost, higher lead time requirements, and efficiency limitations of these other non-inkjet printing techniques, commercial printing (including digital printing) using inkjet printers (“commercial inkjet”) is a rapidly developing area. The large volumes of items that are printed in commercial inkjet printing require high speed printing processes. Reliable printer pens that do not need frequent servicing are also necessary because they contribute to the overall speed of the printing process.
It would be desirable to provide printing inks for use in ink jet printers with improved print quality and reliability performance, in particular for use in commercial inkjet printing as well as personal printing for home use.